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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701567">i only grabbed your wrist (or would you rather we kissed?)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dried_marigolds/pseuds/dried_marigolds'>dried_marigolds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stories of how our eyes met as summer breeze switfly cradled your face (and how the adoration in your eyes was mirrored in mines) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pandora Hearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, a lesbian tries to write gay teens but they end up behaving like lesbians, and very dense, but theyre both in love, oz cant sip his caprisun in peace, short beta read chapters, some hornet sitation at the adult gangs office goes down, the infamous ostrich fic where elliot accidentally becomes tik tok famous and has to fake date leo, uno is a very serious card game</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 04:01:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701567</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dried_marigolds/pseuds/dried_marigolds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>how did he end up feeling leo's soft lips on his own when everything started by screaming at an ostrich? </p><p>because, elliot was sure, this is when everything had started. that damned ostrich. </p><p>or: elliot and leo go to the zoo with oz, who accidentally causes elliot to become tik tok famous and sees this as the perfect opportunity to play little cupid between his best friends.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elliot Nightray &amp; Oz Vessalius, Leo Baskerville &amp; Elliot Nightray &amp; Oz Vessalius, Leo Baskerville &amp; Oz Vessalius, Leo Baskerville/Elliot Nightray</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stories of how our eyes met as summer breeze switfly cradled your face (and how the adoration in your eyes was mirrored in mines) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. in the eye of the ostrich</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>the complete idiot's guide of everything you shouldn't do at the zoo</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi everyone!!! this is a funny elleo fake dating fic i wrote this summer for my friend, and that i was asked to post so... here it is! i hope you will enjoy it ^^ please leave a comment/kudo if you do!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>elliot had always been fascinated by the snowball effect. how could any impossibly small action have life changing consequences? how did he end up feeling leo's soft lips on his own when everything started by screaming at an ostrich? </p><p>because, elliot was sure, this is when everything had started. that damned ostrich. </p><p>yes, it was during that simple day out at the zoo with oz and leo - was it last month or last week? everything happened so fast and he wasn't sure of how time worked anymore. gil had driven them, the small cramped space of the car filled with happy laughter and the intoxicating smell of vanilla after oz ripped open the package of the little scented pine tree. </p><p>as soon as they got out of the car, the friendly and convivial day out turned into a business trip: oz thought it was the perfect place to record funny videos for his followers to enjoy. tock tocks. or was it tock ticks? whatever. ("tik toks, elliot" had calmly corrected leo more than once). honestly he had no idea of what oz was doing. occasionally leo joined him to make jokes or dance - not very graciously - in front of animals, and sometimes moving lips, mimicking speech but not making any sound. elliot affectionately thought that they both looked very stupid. </p><p>after half an hour spent under the sun watching otters clap hands, elliot realised that gil, leo, oz, vanessa, ernest, hans and reim were right. he should have worn a hat. he started feeling dizzy and leo allowed him to rest on his knees, all while scolding him for his useless recklessness.<br/>
elliot, your hair is always a mess, wearing a hat couldn't have made it much worse, he'd said, fingers gently scraping his burning scalp. look who's talking, he'd answered, closing his eyes to focus on the tender feeling of his friend's hands in his hair. </p><p>then oz, who had left as soon as elliot mentioned feeling dizzy, promptly returned with two extra bottles of water and a newly bought hat with elephant ears on it, making his presence announced by placing the hat on elliot's head. the teen quickly got back up, leo's hand having left his hair. feeling the shape of the hat, the teen blushed and proudly announced that he was too old to wear a hat with elephant ears. at these words leo immediately proceeded to slap the back of his head while oz emptied a water bottle on him. </p><p>ok. he would wear the elephant hat. </p><p>hat rest and water helped with elliot's dizziness, they moved from their spot after a few minutes. as they got up, leo softly said that he wanted to see the birds. so elliot, upper body soaked, announced loudly they were going to see the birds, dragging leo by the arm. oz only looked tenderly at them, a pensive smile on his lips. what a weird kid.</p><p>and that's when he saw her. he couldn't take his eyes off her as she stared straight through his soul. leo ran towards the nightmarish beast, leaving elliot's side, and started giving facts on ostriches and their behavior. at first he wasn't listening, too focused on the creature's eyes and the ghost of leo's skin on the palm of his hand. then he heard it.</p><p>"did you know ostriches ignore the problems they face by hiding their head in the sand?" </p><p>what</p><p>could these ravenous beasts be… cowards? </p><p>not noticing that oz was filming the whole scene, elliot rushed by leo's side and started screaming that ignoring problems was the best way to end up with more problems and that it's cowardly and that everyone should face their problem, and so on. he would not stop even when leo whispered to him that oz - who was holding his belly from laughing too much - was still filming. he would not stop until he was done and leo who knew it very well settled for looking straight at the camera as long as his friend would keep yelling.</p><p>when elliot was done, oz's phone was already buzzing from private messages asking who that charming white boy with morals was. that's when things really started to fall in pretty shambles.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. and you're in a car with a beautiful boy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>soon enough, elliot realised that his actions had consequences. he knew he messed up when he saw oz's embarrassed face, soon blurting out apologies for recording the video and posting it. as elliot looked down, his elephant ears flapped with anxiety. not needing to rely on words to understand him, leo told his friend that he looked great on the video despite his hat. elliot beamed, delighted at this and oz, who was thinking about deleting the video from his account, suddenly imagined a plan. and what a good plan. really, the plan was simple and everyone would get out of it unharmed - maybe a little humiliated at worse. so oz turned off his notifications without telling elliot about the ruckus he had created on his plateform, and happily went on with the hour they had left at the zoo before gil would come back to drive them home.</p><p>when they entered gil's car, leo had shoes covered in goat poop - honestly elliot had told him that he would step in it if he kept on petting them thoughtlessly. everyone, especially gil, was thankful of the intoxicating vanilla smell radiating from the scented pine tree. </p><p>as elliot took his phone out to take a picture, his screen lit up from the hundreds of notifications received throughout the afternoon. many, many, many strangers wanted to follow his - thankfully private - twitter account. at his uncharacteristically sudden silence, leo put his hand on his arm and peered down at his phone, cheek resting on his shoulder. then he saw. turned his head up, got his hair out of his eyes, removed the dirty glasses he didn't need, and his beautiful eyes grew three size. then his incredulous gaze was on elliot, and dear heavens elliot could not bear looking at him with his expression so open and his eyes, his piercing eyes looking back at him, with his hand still lingering on his arm.</p><p>oz, who was sipping a caprisun, spied the whole scene from the wing mirror. it was gil who broke the silence by very worriedly telling oz that he shouldn't sip his caprisun while he was driving a corner, that it was dangerous because he may swallow it wrong and end up dying. he then proceeded to drag a breath of his cigarette. elliot thought it was the perfect occasion to take off his eyes from leo and proceeded to scold his brother on the higher chances to die because of smoking rather than sipping a caprisun for the rest of the drive.</p><p>when gil dropped the teens by their school's dormitory, he considered trying to stop smoking - like the seven last times elliot had scolded him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. the olid tingle of your skin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>upon entering their shared room, elliot stopped and grabbed leo's shoulder, gently forcing the smaller teen to face him. </p><p>"you're not coming in this place with these smelly shoes" he tightened his grip on his frail shoulder to show that this wasn't a question at all. </p><p>oz, who was fidgeting with the empty package of his caprisun while absent mindedly looking at them, saw a defiant smile flash on leo's face and knew his friends were going to cause a scene in the middle of the corridor. wouldn't be the first nor the last time after all. </p><p>"if my shoes are smelly then i wonder what word i should use to describe your smell, elliot. olid? odiferous?" he stopped a second but not long enough to let elliot reply, "ah sorry, i don't think these words are part of your vocabulary. would you understand better what i mean if i said you also smell like shit?" </p><p>ah, this called for oz to enter the room and leave them alone to their daily bickering session. as oz opened the door, he wondered how long it would take to elliot to realise that leo was just messing with him in order to make him forget about the shoes. he really hoped elliot wouldn't be fooled because oz may try his best to keep a light hearted and friendly atmosphere but he was not going to spend the night with an ambient smell of goat poop just for the sake of avoiding conflict. </p><p>as he climbed onto his top bunk bed, he checked his tik tok private messages and saw that almost all of them were about elliot. from what he understood during the car ride, everyone except gil - he is a little dense - is now aware that the video blew up and people are all over elliot. so he expected a little talk about it during the evening. and he would use elliot's old fashioned speech about social media and the privacy of one's image - because he knew exactly what was coming since it wouldn't be the first time he heard this speech - to his advantage and start his masterplan.</p><p>his train of thought was interrupted by leo triumphantly entering the room with his smelly shoes, followed by a fuming elliot that had opened the door for him.</p><p>ah, this wouldn't do it. </p><p>elliot immediately jumped in the shower and as soon as leo got his shoes off to take a nap - fully clothed with his jeans on, what monster - oz climbed down the bunk to get the shoes out of the room. when he got back in, leo was looking directly at him, smiling and not having moved an inch. </p><p>peppermint and cedar scented steam filled the bedroom as soon as a bare chested elliot harshly opened the bathroom door and looked up to call oz, who was texting oscar on his bed, to tell him that they needed to talk. leo was still napping. </p><p>or was he? from up there, oz could have sworn that he was looking at elliot's back through his messy bangs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. oh honey there's no need for words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>elliot's speech about social media and the privacy of one's image went just as expected. to announce that he was done, he sat heavily on the nearest bed - which happened to be leo's. leo, still lying on his bed, asked his friend how he was feeling about the whole situation. elliot stayed silent for a while. leo sat up to put the palm of his hand on elliot shoulder blade and repeated his question. </p><p>"i guess i don't like it," elliot sighted. leo caressed his soft skin while glaring severely at oz, who suddenly felt very guilty. "but i'm sure that we'll find a way to create something good out of it," he turned his head at an uncomfortable angle to smile at leo, eyes full of an emotion the boy couldn't quite pin, "right?"</p><p>from up there, oz could clearly see that leo is mirroring the look. </p><p>"right." whispered leo, appreciating the smell of clean skin - while the body wash smelled good, it didn't quite smell the same as on oz; there was something he couldn't name here, something inexplicably elliot in this smell. </p><p>oz chose this moment to loudly declare that it was time for elliot to get his shirt on and clean the shower so that leo could use it. elliot couldn't agree more ("he's right leo, your hair looks gross") and left the bedroom. </p><p>now this was the perfect moment to start the 1st step of his master plan (which was: separating the duo to question them in private about what's exactly going on between each other, and test the waters). oz knew he was close enough to the duo for them to be honest about mostly anything - especially elliot, it wasn't like he was able to lie anyway - and for the last two years he roomed with them, he had many occasions to see that his suppositions had extremely high chances to be correct. </p><p>they definitely loved each other, way beyond friendship.</p><p>(but they never openly acted like a proper couple: they never said "i love you", never kissed. there were just endlessly sweet gazes, laughter, admiration and gentle caresses. there was love for sure, there was this intensity between them that made it hard to pull them away from each other for too long. maybe it was simply a relationship too strong to be contained by words such as romance, friendship or any other word that exists. but it was a relationship of love, love of small unremarkable exchanges, love larger than words, than romance, love, simply the aberrant and terrifying love that comes with letting yourself being known) </p><p>"leo?" the mess of dark hair moved slightly and oz saw that he was looking at him. "what's your relationship with elliot?" </p><p>the teen shrugged and laughed. "what kind of question is this, oz? you know exactly how i feel about elliot"</p><p>oz wasn't quite sure how leo felt about elliot.</p><p>this night, oz had all the time of the world to contemplate on the first failed step of his plan, while elliot - who slept in the bottom bunk next to leo's single bed - punched his mattress and whisper-yelled at him to stop moving so much. leo spent the night wondering about the meaning of oz's question. </p><p>leo wasn't quite sure how he felt about elliot.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. bargaining</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"elliot you have to make your twitter account public!!!" </p><p>step one had failed with leo and oz just couldn't get elliot alone and in the mood for a relationship interrogatory last evening - vanessa had seen the video and was already blaming leo for his bad influence, reim had asked him to come see him at his workplace the next morning, and his father just sent an angry text that got elliot worked up. so oz had to skip to step two before the hype surrounding elliot toned down: elliot had to surrender and make his account public.</p><p>"i'd rather download tik tok than do this."</p><p>"great then download tik tok!!!"</p><p>"no!!!"</p><p>this wasn't getting anywhere and elliot was soon going to leave for reim's office. he had to find a way to convince him.</p><p>"leo c'mon tell him that he should make his account public" if leo was on his side then...</p><p>"elliot shouldn't have to do anything he's uncomfortable with." leo blurted out without getting his head out of his book. this wasn't helping at all.</p><p>"it's not that i'm uncomfortable with this it's just that-" elliot intervened and stopped a few seconds to find the words "it's that i don't know what people expect of me," leo raised his head and was about to say something but elliot continued "but i don't plan to change myself." leo smiled and got back to reading "the only problem i see is, if they're disappointed of what they see i will face backslash, won't i? and this may ruin my credibility to get in a high ranked college"</p><p>well he wasn't wrong. but oz wasn't going to let that stop him.</p><p>"why would they be disappointed? you've never posted anything problematic, hell, you just retweet kitten pictures and post self care reminders"</p><p>"and get into fight with bigots" added leo.</p><p>"and get into fight with bigots, right" oz looked at elliot, waiting for an answer.</p><p>"but i also post personal pictures and tweet about daily events of my life for my friends and family to see. i don't want this to be seen by strangers." oz suddentely had a really good idea.</p><p>"elliot we could make you another account!" leo sighted from the other side of the room "this way you can put up a barrier between what you want to keep personal and what you allow to be public!" elliot looked at him, visibly thinking about the proposition. </p><p>"do you think that i could use this new plateform to spread awareness on important issues?" of course he would ask. that was when oz knew he had succeeded.</p><p>"yes!" oz beamed. and elliot smiled then agreed that oz should create this account  while he were at reim's office. </p><p>(leo added "as long as you post cute selfies to keep people interested" but wasn't heard)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. it flies over your head</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>pandora hearts adults but it's the office (i never watched the office bear with me)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>elliot had decided to go alone to see reim since leo didn't want to leave their room. oz repeatedly asked to come with him, at least for the bus ride, but elliot refused - he didn't want leo to stay alone at home, you never know what could happen ("it's not like anyone plans to kidnap him for some obscure ritual while we're not watching him!" "alright but we definitely could come back to a kitchen on fire" "elliot please stop acting like i'm not the one who does the cooking here").</p><p>when he entered his uncle figure's office, it was empty if not for the smell of cleaning alcohol and a scattered pile of paperwork. something must have happened. he tentatively called reim and eventually his tall figure appeared from behind a curtain with an electric fly swatter. </p><p>"ah elliot! i'm very glad to see you! please have a seat while i take care of -" he hesitated "a problem." and he was back under the long dark brown curtains.</p><p>"did mr. break do something again?" elliot laughed at the sight of the curtain flying open to reveal a very angry reim. oh, elliot couldn't wait to know what happened.</p><p>"ah you bet he did!" he took a seat in front of elliot. "so you know how his sight got worse than ever?" elliot nodded "i don't even know how he's not considered legally blind yet, but i digress. this idiot told me he opened the window in your brother's office but he heard an insect getting in so obviously i thought he was playing one of his distasteful pranks on us, but i came anyway" he paused dramatically. "first of all i had to suffer the sight of gilbert's hideous minion figures' collection, which would make xerxes delighted to be blind, then he told me where he thought the noise came from, and you'll never guess what i saw?" </p><p>"please do tell" </p><p>"well there was this really big -"  </p>
<p>

gil barged into reim's office. "i found the hornet!" he screamed, sweating.</p><p>reim threw his hand on the table and quickly got up "and where is it, pray tell?" xerxes chose this moment to enter reim's office.</p><p>"has anyone seen sharon?" he asked. gil, who just had time to gather his breath and brush off the sweat from his brown answered </p><p>"sharon is taking care of the hornet situation in the common ro-"</p><p>"you've left sharon alone with the hornet???" reim was positively screaming and xerxes had already ran out off the office towards the common room, rapidly followed by reim who told elliot as he ran not to move from where he was.</p><p>gil anxiety went down for a bit as he was left alone with his brother. </p><p>"elliot i don't know why you're here but-" elliot had already left the room to help.</p><p>the door closed on the room where gil was still standing, not having registered what had just happened.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. lovin you is way too easy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>back to the dense idiots (author temporarly forgot they were writing crack here)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"say, oz, what did you mean with your question yesterday?" asked leo while oz was doing his homework.</p><p>he had spent the night overthinking it and came to the conclusion that he didn't have any answer for this question. he had waited for elliot to leave to unexpectedly bring back the subject on the table, but oz seemed ecstatic from the turn of events. the kid was definitely up to something but leo was eager to discover what it could possibly be.</p><p>"ah, you see what i meant was, how would you describe your relationship with elliot?" faked genuine interest was clear on his face. leo was going to be a bit careful with his answer.</p><p>"i wouldn't hesitate to lay down my life for him but i will also kill him with my bare hands next time he cracks his knuckles near me" he said very casually, finger caressing the spine of the book he held. oz looked pensive.</p><p>"but would you…" he wiggled his eyebrows as if the end of his sentence was obvious. it wasn't.</p><p>"would i what?"</p><p>"please leo, i thought you weren't as dense as elliot" oz whined, confusing the raven haired boy even further.</p><p>"wait did you also ask elliot about our relationship?" oz smiled in answer. "what did he say?" he just smiled wider. what was up with him? leo was starting to get annoyed.</p><p>"you two aren't just friends, am i right?" leo's mouth went dry. what was he implying? "look. you and i, we're friends. yet you never thought about craddling me to sleep into your arms when i have a nightmare?" </p><p>"well you never asked for it" his mocking tone was betrayed by the lump that had formed in his throat and the blush coloring his pale cheeks.</p><p>"i don't remember elliot asking either" oz had him cornered and he had no idea what to answer. he already had trouble clearing his thoughts from oz's implications. "leo you don't need to answer this question, even if i feel like not answering would be an answer," he desperately tried to hide his face in his book, hoping that oz wouldn't notice that he was feeling his heart swell "are you in love with elliot?"</p><p>
  <em> am i… in love with elliot? <em></em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>obviously, he loved elliot. loving elliot was like feeling gravity keeping your feet safe on the ground. it was simply natural, too natural to be noticed unless your attention was brought to it. of course it was because elliot was his best friend. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>but… in love? </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>elliot was a beautiful boy with a smile that shone like the sun, and leo was an orphan in need of warmth. wasn't it to be expected that he would crave his feather light touch, delight in his demonstrations of trust and affection, and search for his ocean eyes to drown in and let himself be overwhelmed with the feeling of finally being home?</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>or was it how being in love feels like? </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>at leo's silence, oz simply smiled, and resumed sipping from his caprisun.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>ten minutes later, when leo got out of his daze, he answered that it was none of oz's business. oz simply laughed.</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. happy mess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>i'll never get any funnier than this (pandora hearts but it's the office 2/2)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>intelligible screams filled the place as reim and xerxes barged into the room, the white haired man having stepped on vincent, who was laying dead on the ground.</p><p>"xerxes would you please get out of this room before causing more trouble?" </p><p>"i'm not causing any trouble" he said, punctuating each word by stepping on vincent's chest.</p><p>"look you're blind but i know that you know exactly what you're doing" he sighted "i couldn't care less about vincent but you're both my employees and if you continue i'll get in trouble with my boss and i don't want to make him another sorry wig and even less download another 00s' music compilation to cover up your mistakes. and we have to find and help sharon so would you please stop this now?" </p><p>elliot got in the room and was welcomed by the sight of his brother being stepped on by his mentor. this was slightly embarassing. </p><p>"reim why is my brother laying dead on the ground." upon hearing elliot's voice, xerxes had the decency to get his feet back on the ground. reim shrugged. "you know what. i don't even want to know. let's find that hornet." </p><p>"mind telling me why you got out of my office despite what i asked of you?" the brunette started cleaning his glasses.</p><p>"well even if i admire mr. break a lot i thought i'd be of better help than him in this situation since…" he trailed of "... you know…" he pointed at his own eyes and made a cross with his arms.</p><p>"as if i ever needed my eye to beat you in a fair swordfight!" xerxes announced proudly, ignoring elliot's confused hand movements towards reim.</p><p>"xerxes, you haven't accepted to spare with him since he was a toddler, i don't think you can call it fair" the older man pouted at reim's input.</p><p>"and no one ever killed an hornet with a sword" added elliot</p><p>"please elliot don't say it like that or he will try it" he glared at xerxes who had been about to draw his sword "and i already told <em> you <em>" he turned toward the smaller man "that you aren't allowed to bring this on the workplace!" </em></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"might be useful in case your nasty boss calls his biker friends to wreck up the place again" reim gave him an hollow stare and proceeded to ignore him. elliot was about to ask about this incident when a high pitched yell was heard in the back of the room.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"sharon!" the three men shouted at the same time before running towards the source of the noise.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>when they arrived, they found the petite woman looking up proudly at them.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"sharon. where is the hornet" asked reim calmly </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"it's dead" she pointed at the hornet corpse near the window. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"are you stung?" xerxes held her shoulders and forced her to turn around. "reim please check for a sting mark" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"xerx would you please stop this before i give you the same treatment as this lovely hornet?" he couldn't see her spine chilling smile but stopped anyway. she straightened the fabric of her dress. "i wasn't stung, but our dear vincent was" she faked a pained tone, touching her cheek with her hand. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"is someone going to actually tell me what is happening" gil finally arrived in the room, out of breath.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"ah gilbert! sharon killed the hornet while you were-" reim didn't even know what gil had been doing. his eyes were red. did he lock himself up to cry? "- not with us." </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"what? that's not possible! i left with the insect spray!" he became still realising what he said "accidentally." reim was already giving him a death stare and xerxes was menacingly approached him. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"wait if gil had the insect spray then -" elliot looked at sharon in awe "- how did you kill it?" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"simple! i used the newspaper!" silence filled the room. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"miss rainsworth, with all due respect i don't think it is possible to kill a hornet with-" elliot was interrupted by the sight of the bloodied newspaper suddenly very close to his face "- nevermind."</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"oh but if my dear xerx keeps bothering gil i will gladly give you a demonstration of how to attack with a newspaper!" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>xerxes stepped away from gil. "this won't be necessary" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"sharon i am sorry to interrupt but," gil pointed at the other side of the room "shouldn't we be worrying over vincent?" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"oh silly me! i had forgotten about his state!" she hadn't forgotten about his state.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"what happened?" asked elliot.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"ah you know how heroic vincent can become for his big brother!" xerxes was snickering in the background. "as soon as he saw the hornet he pushed gil on the ground and attacked it with his bare hands!" reim was fighting to hold back a laugh. "he got stung and collapsed immediately" </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>unlike his blood related siblings, elliot had always been happy about his family adopting the two orphans. but the current embarrassment made him wish vincent didn't share his surname in this particuliar moment. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"i'll drive him to the hospital" gil sighted</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>everyone nodded and got back to their previous occupation. when elliot got back to reim's office, his uncle figure profusely apologized about this incident and told him that he had a meeting in a few minutes and thus he couldn't stay with him any longer. elliot decided to get back to his dormitory. on his way out of the office, reim ran up to him to get him into a warm hug. he really gave the best hugs. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>in the bus, elliot realised that reim never told him why he wanted to meet up.</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>he wanted to meet up because he just had finished the sudoku and crosswords book elliot had gotten him for his birthday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. your eyes talk louder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"are you telling me that seventeen thousands nine hundreds and sixty eight people have already followed my new empty twitter account you made two hours ago."</p><p>"yes!!! and they keep on coming!" another buzz announced a new follower. "eheh nice" oz laughed. "and i think that if we post something we'll gain even more followers!"</p><p>"can we post something along the lines of 'unfollow if you're a bigot because i hate you personally'? because i feel like this would be a great first post"</p><p>"no." oz blurted out "this would not be a great first post." elliot looked at him with judging eyes "but this would be a great second post!" oz knew better than disagreeing with elliot.</p><p>"then what should i post first?"</p><p>"we're going to post a selfie! go fetch your elephant hat and give me a nice smile!" seeing elliot's blank face, oz decided to get up get the hat himself.</p><p>"remind me why i'm doing this?" oz simply shrugged</p><p>"for your own gigantic ego" intervened leo, who had been uncharacteristically silent since elliot came back. </p><p>"seriously what's your problem leo?" elliot's voice grew louder "you've ignored me since i came back from reim's and now you finally decide to grace us with the sound of your voice? and for what? to attack me?" the teen was standing right in front of leo, who hadn't gotten his head out of his book. "leo, i'm talking to you!" he yanked the book from his hands and held the bottom of leo's face in his own hand to force their eyes to meet. </p><p>whatever elliot was planning to say drowned in silence when he met leo's gaze, which was full of questions left unsaid, anger, bittersweetness, and something else elliot couldn't name. </p><p>"leo…" anger had left his voice that was now completely soft, barely above a whisper. "what's the problem? is it -"</p><p>"shut up elliot, you're pissing me off" leo took elliot's wrist to free his face from his grip. elliot caressed his cheek before letting him. leo's lips turned into a thin line at the gesture, and elliot couldn't tell what the silent begging he saw flashing in his eyes meant. it soon turned back into an annoyed glare and the teens fell into an awkward silence.</p><p>oz made his presence announced by loudly coughing and handing the hat to elliot.</p><p>"why don't we all take a picture together?" he laughed awkwardly. leo ignored the question and elliot was still frowning at leo.</p><p>the selfie could wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. pizza (and yearning)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"elliot we need to post something to celebrate your twenty thousands followers" said oz while eating a piece of his pizza. the afternoon had been uneventful after elliot and leo's fight, and their tension was still in the air.</p><p>"why don't you just post whatever you want?" elliot looked at leo's reaction from his peripheral vision. </p><p>oz didn't need to be told twice: he placed the hat on his friend's head and snapped a picture. elliot grumpily eating a pizza with leo glaring at the camera in the background was exactly what he needed for this picture. he wrote a nice unoriginal message with it and posted it, waiting for people's reaction. he didn't have to wait very long.</p><p>the first comment ("wishing i was pizza rn" with a ton of emojis) delighted oz.</p><p>"ok first post done!" oz showed the screen to elliot "do you want to post anything else?" </p><p>"yea give me the phone" he said with his mouth full. leo playfully pushed his shoulder and scolded him for his bad manners. elliot beamed at leo's sudden change of attitude and threw himself up on his friend's frail side in retaliation, earning a surprised gasp from his friend. oz smiled at the atmosphere and decided to jump in the hug as well - he didn't want leo to get embarrassed again - knocking his two elders on the couch. the three friends laughed at the situation, and elliot delighted in leo's first genuine smile of the day.</p><p>feeling the weight of elliot's head on his torso and his hot breathless laugh on his neck, leo was overwhelmed by affection for him. he couldn't remember a time when he has felt any different for elliot, even during their fights. there wasn't a single moment in leo's life when he didn't love his friend. </p><p>(dear heavens was he still allowed to call him his friend? would elliot keep touching, talking, loving - oh because it's what it was, their very own love language - him like this if he knew? would he allow him to keep being his friend? can he be forgiven for his feelings? on the other hand, the possibility that the distance he would like to create between them - he wasn't allowed to love him like this, anything but this, these absurd feelings needed to leave - may drive him away frightened leo. he could surrender and lower his guard, it wasn't as anything had actually changed. but things had changed: now he was aware of the disgusting enormity of his feelings. he couldn't accept elliot's affections anymore, not as long he would keep twisting their - friendly, sympathetic; hell, brotherly - touches like this. leo may dig up his own grave by pushing him away, but it didn't matter as elliot stayed safe from his twisted wants.) </p><p>as leo gathered the strength to detach elliot's warm body from his own, the teen put his arms around him and, as oz took a picture, whispered on his ear with a soft voice.</p><p>"i'm sorry leo." leo froze and let his head fall next to elliot's. their noses brushed. </p><p>"what are you being sorry for?" he could feel elliot's breath on his cheek.</p><p>"whatever i did to upset you like this" his lips were so close "you never get worked up this way for so long when we fight" leo was struggling not to touch his face, trying to gather the strength - rather the will - to get out of his embrace "i wish you could tell me what's wrong" leo gave in and placed his hand on his cheek. he smiled at the familiar and comforting warmth that radiated his skin.</p><p>"nothing's wrong" he lied. elliot looked pleased, eyes locked in his own with the same unameable emotion as usual. it lasted a second before he got up and harshly pushed leo's back against the armrest of the couch, who yelped at the surprise attack. oz decided to get up and leave the room.</p><p>"you're lying!" he said through gritted teeth and pointed an accusatory finger on leo's chest. "not only you try to push me away and ignore my efforts but you also break our pinky promise?" elliot was furious, face both livid and red of anger at the same time. leo winced. </p><p>"please don't bring up the pinky promise in" he tried to keep his voice calm "this would be unfair."</p><p>"as if i care being fair to a lying bastard!" he was gradually looking more hurt then mad. but hurting elliot is the exact thing leo was trying to avoid.</p><p>(of course elliot would get hurt in his life. leo knew it. but he swore to himself that he would never be the one to bring misfortune upon his friend)</p><p>so he talked.</p><p>"elliot, i want to apologize for my behavior" he placed his hand on elliot's. "but i can't tell you about what's bothering me. so i don't want you to act like i owe you an answer"</p><p>"did i do something wrong or are you just being a bitch as usual" </p><p>"how dare you call me a bitch when you're the one who pinned me to the sofa to get an answer out of me!" he lightly punched the taller teen's chest. </p><p>"that's not why i pinned you to the sofa!" leo raised his eyebrows. "c'mon now you're just ignoring my question" he said, putting more of his weight on leo.</p><p>"you haven't done anything more annoying than usual i just-" he was interrupted by elliot crashing on his chest.</p><p>"you're just being a bitch" he smirked playfully. </p><p>"says the bastard using his elephant weight to pressure me into answering his questions" elliot faked being hurt at this comment but didn't move an inch. "elliot if you don't want me to throw hands i'll advise you to get off of me" he said, hands pushing his shoulders. </p><p>"don't give me such an easy and fair occasion to punch you" his blue eyes were defiant. </p><p>(maybe he was right and nothing had changed at all)</p><p>"he's right, please don't allow him to think that i allow fights under our roof" said oz, who has appeared in the doorway, caprisun in hand. he smiled knowingly at leo, who menacingly stared back at him to mask his embarrassment. "if you want to let off some steam," he raised his chin towards elliot, who, unbothered, hadn't moved from leo, "you should answer some comments on your twitter" he grunted.</p><p>"i told you i should have said in my first post that i would block bigots!" his face was still on leo's torso, listening to his friend's heartbeat, imagining a song to follow this melody. oz laughed ominously.</p><p>"elliot bigots aren't the problem" the teen raised his brows "i don't think you quite understand the… how do i put it…" he slyly glanced at leo "the effect you have on people" he handed the phone over to elliot, who was forced to get up and sit on the couch instead of leo. his eyes widened when he saw the comments.</p><p>the first one that caught his eyes was "this guy could roast me and i would [redacted] him to thank him" elliot choked on his own spit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>not to call out fushicho118 but she invented every thirst tweet of this fic</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. library</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>self indulgent, i just wanted to include the canon about leo's bowtie (i am Running Out of cool chapter titles)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"oz what the fuck" oz laughed at elliot's swearword, cherry on the top of this situation. elliot didn't like this. "wipe that smile off your face before i do it myself" he raised his fist to illustrate his words. leo caught his wrist in his hand.</p><p>"you've agreed to this elliot. this isn't oz's fault." he said, his tone flat. </p><p>"but -"</p><p>"no. deal with the consequences of your actions" elliot looked ready to complain again "i'm just telling you what a certain friend of mine would have said… but do whatever you want" he got up from the couch, sighing. "you've exhausted me, i'm going to the library" </p><p>"borrow the last holy knight book for oz and i while you're there" leo glanced at him while adjusting his school uniform</p><p>"ok." he brushed the dark strands of his hair to fall in front of his eyes</p><p>"your bow isn't well knotted. it's not straight." elliot complained.</p><p>"and why should i care?" </p><p>"it's ugly" he got up and unknotted leo's bow. "and you know i don't like when you wear it this way" he then proceeded to re attach it properly, quick fingers brushing leo's pale neck. when he saw leo mock smiling at him through his bangs, he tightened the bow to piss him off. </p><p>"do this again and i'll spoil you the end of the holy knight as soon as i come back from the library" elliot's eyes widened</p><p>"you wouldn't!" elliot's voice was almost masked by oz's gasp. leo definitely looked like he would. so elliot untightened the bow and let leo leave for the library.</p><p>as soon as leo had closed the door, oz and elliot were already making theories about what could possibly happen in the grand finale of their favorite series.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. because you're not leo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>FINALLY!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>as it was expected of elliot, the conversation was soon brought back on leo ("edgard sucks and i'm glad leo isn't like him!" "will you ever stop insulting my favorite character just for the sake of complimenting leo?"). oz thought it was the perfect moment to ask elliot about his feelings. but discreetly. he wasn't ready to suffer elliot's wrath.</p><p>"do you talk about me that much when you're alone with him or is he getting the special treatment?" </p><p>"pff of course i don't talk about you that much when you're not there!" he laughed, as if it was the most obvious answer.</p><p>"why?" oz threw his arm over his head in a dramatic motion, faking a deep pain, ignoring elliot telling him that he was going to spill his caprisun.</p><p>"because you're not leo" elliot looked genuinely confused from oz's question. as if he knew the answer. he didn't, so he raised his brows, encouraging his friend to develop his answer. "don't look at me like that!" he was blushing slightly "you know how it is between leo and i…" oz hoped elliot knew what he meant, unlike leo, because he sure as hell didn't. </p><p>"i don't… actually know what you mean, elliot" he admitted, hoping to know how elliot felt - after all this was step one of his plan. seeing his puzzled face, oz understood that elliot was surprised from this question, and hesitated on an answer. he clarified: "like, what's your relationship with him?" elliot suddenly understood what oz was asking, and his usual cocky grin appeared again.</p><p>"i'm in love with him, you moron!" he laughed. </p><p>oz choked on his caprisun. he did not expect such a straight foward answer, even less elliot being so sure of his feelings for the orphan - but really he should have. elliot, still laughing, got up to get oz some water, and handed him the glass over, ranting about how stupid oz was for not noticing something so obvious, and how he was probably the last person - not counting the oblivious gilbert - to know.</p><p>"elliot, have you ever told leo?" because considering leo's reaction this morning...</p><p>"no! that's embarrassing!" </p><p>"what" oz deadpanned</p><p>"you see, unlike you, leo is very smart" elliot looked very proud "so he already knows" he smiled. </p><p>oz, who knew that leo wasn't very smart - at least about emotional topics where he was involved - and had no idea that elliot was in love with him, was shaking. what kind of huge misunderstanding was that. </p><p>"how can you be so sure that he knows if you have never told him?" somehow, it looked like this was the funniest thing elliot had heard today.</p><p>"well i think it is obvious even if i feel more comfortable showing it through actions you know? saying it out loud it…" he scratched his chin "it's hard. and i feel like words don't do my feelings justice" oz was in awe at how at ease elliot seemed to talk about his feelings. </p><p>"but you two aren't dating?" somehow they both never questioned the fact that leo loved him back. elliot simply shrugged.</p><p>"i guess we aren't? or maybe we are?" he let his head fall the couch cushions "i don't actually know. but i'm happy with our relationship."</p><p>"wouldn't you be happier if you two…" he wiggled his eyebrows, trying to see if he'd earn a funnier reaction than with leo. at the gesture, elliot furiously blushed and smacked the back of oz's head. now this was a fun reaction! "seriously! wouldn't you like to actually date leo?" </p><p>"we don't need to kiss -" he said with a very small voice "- to actually date oz!" </p><p>"but you'd like to kiss him!" </p><p>"shut up oz! what if he hears us!" oz couldn't stop laughing at the situation.</p><p>"he's in the library! you're just avoiding my question, coward!" elliot playfully pushed his friend's shoulder. "edwin wouldn't avoid this kind of question." oz added</p><p>"tch, as if you understood edwin's character. edwin wouldn't have started this debate at all because he's too noble for this." the buzz of oz's phone interrupted them. elliot's twitter now had more than thirty thousands followers. the boy side eyed it before taking it. "let me post something" </p><p>"regarding the hornies situation?" </p><p>"yes. and please don't call it this way" oz grinned. </p><p>when he handed back his phone to oz, he had posted "if you all are so thirsty you better should go drink water. bigots and hornies will die under my sword!". as the younger teen was about to tell him his opinion on the tweet, they received a first comment. </p><p>someone with the profile picture of a girl with cat ears said "please choke me with your sword" elliot looked in the distance with a hollow face, and snatched the phone from oz's hands.</p><p>"i'm fucking gay" he answered. too late. a quarter of hour later, the internet was going crazy about how their charming white boy with morals was gay. </p><p>as soon as oz got his phone back, he sent a text to alice, begging her to tell elliot he should fake date leo to stop this internet phenomenon. she didn't care and oz had to bribe her with a free kfc meal to earn her help.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. a bad idea against some chicken nuggets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>html is such a pain i'm sorry if half of the words that were italics in the gdoc aren't anymore ;o;</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>leo got back in the room on the middle of the apocalypse. oz had alice on the phone, and she was very theatratically telling elliot that he had to fake date him. had oz made a move on elliot while he was reading? did oz have a crush on elliot? was it why he asked him these questions yesterday and this morning? leo didn't like that very much. he didn't like that at all. elliot's face was redder than a tomato's - and something deep in his guts told him that tomatoes weren't a good sign. he was about to say something when oz quickly turned off the phone call and sat up to greet leo. </p><p>"ah leo! elliot got himself in trouble again, anyways do you have the book?" leo got volume 21 of the holy knight out of his bag and handed it over. oz thanked him gleefully and placed it on the table.</p><p>"what did elliot do?" he looked at the ashamed boy sitting on the couch.</p><p>"posted something to call out the hornies, people kept being horny so he came out as gay and now so many dudes are asking him out and sending nudes" he laughed "many girls are still after him as well" leo couldn't help mock laughing, glaring at elliot and swallowing up all the teasing he was desperate to throw at his face. </p><p>what the hell had happened. he only left for two hours. why did these two always end up in these sorts of situations when he wasn't there to babysit them?</p><p>"and what were you talking about with alice? i heard her voice on the phone" no one screams in the speakers like she does.</p><p>"oh, she had the brilliant idea that to stop the hornies, elliot had to date someone!" he proclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "or at least pretend he is"</p><p>"how convenient for you. are you sure she got this idea?" leo snickered at oz's betrayal. not very bro code of him to make a move on elliot. </p><p>"how is this convenient for me?" he looked genuinely confused</p><p>"well," leo bitterly glared at oz "you get to date elliot" he spitted, betrayal clear in his voice. he did not understand why oz bursted out of laughter.</p><p>"i am not going to date elliot!" he couldn't stop laughing. elliot was hiding his face in the pillows.</p><p>"then who's going to do it?!" he was starting to get mad. oz could barely breath from the laughing fit he got into, let alone talk. he simply pointed at leo. </p><p>what.</p><p>"why are you pointing at me" elliot grunted loudly in the pillows as oz only laughed louder. "elliot, please, say something" he asked, very calmly. the blushing teen slowly emerged from his pillow tomb.</p><p>"leo," he said his name with all the softness he could manage to put in his voice without making it crack "alice was suggesting that i date you" </p><p>what.</p><p>"you can't be serious" was all he could manage to say. elliot looked down, still blushing. ok, so he was serious. "why me? why not oz?"</p><p>"and why not you?" intervened oz, who had calmed down his laughter.</p><p>"because i could write down a list of all the reasons we shouldn't?" leo crossed his arms on his torso.</p><p>"there can't be that many" oz looked towards elliot, and back to leo "give me three." he looked defiantly at leo.</p><p>"first of all, elliot's family hates me and publicly announcing that we are dating will put elliot in serious trouble," he was trying to convince oz with the same arguments he used to convince himself. "then, exposing himself with me may lead to haters insulting him," he gathered his breath "and finally, i'm afraid elliot will feel uncomfortable if it's with me, considering the nature of our relationship." </p><p>elliot gave him a weird look. "well if they’re the only problems you see then let's do it" his tone aimed to be proud and confident but his voice cracked.</p><p>"no??? have you not heard me? all these problems in the way?" </p><p>"they're just concerns for me. you didn't give a single reason why you would be bothered by the situation" leo's face was getting hot. what the hell was happening. he couldn't pretend to date elliot - this was madness when he was already in love with the idiot. seeing leo, oz intervened.</p><p>"why don't we deal with this over a gool old uno? the winner gets to pretend to date elliot!" he said joyfully </p><p>"the winner usually gets a prize oz, not a stupid burden" leo's voice was masked by elliot and oz's banter ("what if i win?" "you never win!")</p><p>this was going to be a long night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PLEASE if you find the little jokes and references to canon lmk in the comments i like when people boost my ego by telling me i'm funny</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. the joy of having siblings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>they want to play uno, the dorm is on fire, god is dead,</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>the uno bit is 100% inspired by a post from @_nightgay on instagram (it wont let me link it :( ), go give them a follow!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>the first incident of the night happened when elliot realised that he had left his uno game at home. if they didn't have uno, they just shouldn't play uno, leo had concluded. this made elliot, who really wanted to play uno, very mad. oz suggested making their own deck of uno cards ("does anyone know how many cards a uno deck has?" "too many"), then to call the nightray's house to get someone to bring the uno game to their dorm. </p><p>"but no one is nice or stupid enough to drive all the way to the dorm to bring us the uno deck in the middle of the night without asking any questions?" as he talked, the realisation that, yes, someone was stupid and nice enough to do it, dawned on elliot and oz's face.</p><p>"gil!" they said at the same time.</p><p>"let me call him, he can't refuse me a thing!" oz said, mischief tainting his voice. elliot agreed, and leo retired himself from the conversation to read volume 21 of the holy knight on oz's top bunk. oz dialed gil's number, and after less than three ringtones, gil answered.</p><p>"allo? oz? are you in trouble?" his voice was sleepy. they must have woken him up. oz couldn't find the will to care.</p><p>"yes! we-"</p><p>"what is happening? are elliot and leo with you? i will be on my way, don't stop the call, keep talking so i know that you haven't fainted" they could hear the sound of fabric being shifted - was he already getting dressed? </p><p>"no no no! don't leave just yet!" oz had to interrupt his anxious blabbering and cut short his questions "elliot and leo are with me, and we need you to bring us the uno deck" gil stayed silent.</p><p>"did you call me at 1 a.m because you all want to play a game and it stayed at <br/>home" he deadpanned.</p><p>"yes!" oz beamed, waiting for gil to answer. after a long silence, he talked.</p><p>"i guess i'm already up and dressed now, so…" he trailed off "what's the name of the game you want?" he sounded defeated</p><p>"uno!" elliot's voice could be heard in the background.</p><p>"we don't have uno" he answered calmly. oz looked with confusion at elliot. the teen snatched the phone from oz's hands.</p><p>"we have uno dipshit! everyone does!" he loudly proclaimed in the speakers. "mom's cultist friend got everyone a deck last year"</p><p>"i suppose i didn't get one" his voice was shaking "but i got yura's gift package! i even got it before you did!"</p><p>"it was in the package!" oz chilled at elliot's voice suddenly rising "and you're saying bullshit i had my package on day one of his arrival home"</p><p>"well mine didn't have it -" </p><p>"YOU HAVE UNOOO!!! YOU FUCKING MORON!!!" oz jumped at the sound of elliot's voice distorted by a sudden rage. </p><p>"i don't have uno you dumb-"</p><p>"YOU HAVE UNO! i'm fucking telling you you have uno!!!"</p><p>"but i don't!" gil had started screaming as well, but they could hear that he was crying. leo was starting to get pissed, which wasn't a good sign.</p><p>"YOU DO YOU USELESS TOSSER! look under the fucking shelf!" elliot screamed louder than gil to assert dominance. "it's a fucking card game and you got if for free! you never throw anything away you have uno!" </p><p>leo wanted to drop his book on his empty head to stop the flow of swearwords and screams. oz was simply sitting still on the couch, looking terrified. gil kept yelling that he didn't have uno, while looking under the shelf. leo reluctantly closed his book, ready to intervene, but gil suddenly fell silent.</p><p>"gil?" oz called. they only heard a distant voice and bribes of a conversation. elliot kept screaming so leo had to drop the heavy holy knight on him. that finally shut him up. leo sighed in relief. </p><p>"oz?" oz hummed "vince heard me, he says he saw a uno deck in the living room" ("fucking told him we had uno" muttered elliot. leo menaced him to spoil the end of the book if he used another swear word)</p><p>"perfect! please take it and come over then!" oz said sheepishly.</p><p>"are you sure you need it right now? oz it's 1 a.m you should be sleepi-"</p><p>"no gil it's an emergency. we need it now." his voice was suddenly very serious. "we are waiting for you, don't slow down on the way." and just like this he hung up. elliot scolded him for being disrespectful to his brother, and oz simply raised his eye brows at him.</p><p>twenty minutes later, a very tired gil knocked on the dorm's door, a uno deck in hand. he didn't ask once, to the teens' relief, why they needed this uno so bad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>as always, please leave a comment!!! i love interacting with you guys &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. hoodwinked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>uH oH fake dating (finally)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes i completly surrendered with html i'm sorry there is 0 italics, yes i used thesaurus to find a synonym of "cheat" that sounded funny to me</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>leo would rather have been calmly reading a book, tucked in his bed, than playing uno at 1.30 a.m with an overexcited elliot and oz. but even if, most of the time, life with these two isn't what he'd ideally dream of, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. because as long as elliot was there by his side...</p><p>"tell me elliot, how does it feel to be a trophy boyfriend?" oz laughed as elliot, positively scandalized, punched the blond's shoulder, sputtering an angry speech about how this wasn't correct to say this sort of things.</p><p>… nevermind. they were both a pain in the ass. </p><p>he sighted as he received his seventh card, knowing that the chaos of the night was only about to start. he wasn't paying attention to their bickering anymore (when will elliot admit that the rules he played by with his siblings weren't the universal ones?). he was just starting to realise the stakes of this game. </p><p>if he lost, oz would pretend to date elliot. that would mean dealing with the two sharing touches here and there, i love yous and - he dared not imagine it - kissing, each time it was necessary. sure, this was the most reasonable option, but it didn't make the thought of it less insufferable. on the other hand, if he won, he would have to do all of this with elliot. while the idea wasn't really unpleasant (he loved the boy and how warm the heat of his skin felt like under his hands - that he couldn't dare imagine how his lips would feel on his own), leo knew there was no way in hell elliot would mean any of the gestures. no way he would. having elliot's reciprocation of affection dangling in front of his nose, knowing all of this is an act? this would hurt. and it would be a miracle if he didn't feel awkward acting like this around leo. he didn't know what was the best thing to do. losing? winning? he hated both of the outcomes.</p><p>"leo," elliot patted his knee "it's your turn to play" </p><p>he had forgotten to look at his game. it sucked - even if he tried, he didn't think he would be able to win. fate was really against him dating elliot, uh? he placed a dumb card on the deck. elliot, oddly silent, placed two draw 2 cards for oz. leo placed down another card, followed by elliot who decided to attack oz with a super joker. </p><p>"do you plan to make me lose that bad?" oz laughed. he picked up three cards. </p><p>wait. wasn't he supposed to pick four? was he cheating? what for? what if he actually wanted to date elliot? leo's eyes fell on elliot, frowning. </p><p>"oz! you cheated!" elliot pointed accusatively at him, voice as stern as angry. "take two more cards!" oz smiled cockily and picked two cards "and your fourth one" so he did, without wiping that annoying smile out of his face. leo somehow understood that oz was up to something. and oz being up to something was never good. </p><p>"i don't know what made you think that you would be able to cheat when i am right in front of you!" elliot congratulated himself, pride clear in his voice. 

</p>
<p>he was right, no one had ever been able to cheat when elliot was here - his friend usually was more focused on potential cheaters than his own game. really, what was oz even doing? </p><p>after a few uneventful turns, elliot put another double draw 2 against oz. how did he even get that many? </p><p>"elliot, what happens if you win?" leo asked.</p><p>"i get to choose who i pr-"</p><p>"you forgot to say uno. pick two cards" oz cut him short. elliot's face fell. </p><p>"i-" he looked at oz with big confused eyes "oz why did you anti-uno me! i was talking to leo!" </p><p>"you didn't say uno! were you expecting me to cheat on your behalf?" he pouted. "what were you two even saying? i wasn't paying attention"</p><p>"i was saying -" the crease of his eyebrows was very apparent as he picked his two cards "- that if i won," he glanced at oz "i would be able to choose who i pretend to date" he said through gritted teeth. oz placed his 21 cards in front of his mouth and gasped. what was he up to really? leo was starting to get pissed. he knew something was being hidden from him, but didn't knew what exactly. this was beyond annoying. </p><p>oz put down his cards, revealing a smirk. "and, let me guess, you were sooo eager to choose?" </p><p>elliot awkwardly glanced at leo. at the lack of significant reaction of the dark haired teen, he made a vague hand gesture. "shut up oz," he rolled his eyes "you know i always try my best to win, no matter the stakes are." leo could have sworn oz winked at this. </p><p>...were he and elliot actually having a secret plan to date each other despite what they said earlier? this thought put leo in such a terrible mood for the rest of the evening that he wouldn't have noticed he was down to one card, if not for elliot's discreet nunge on his shoulder. </p><p>(he was about to punch him harder when elliot whispered "say uno"</p><p>so, without thinking, he said "uno") </p><p>next turn, he got the opportunity to place down his last card. he didn't quite realise what this meant until oz cheered at him and elliot threw his arm over his shoulders with a content hum.</p><p>oh. he was going to pretend to date elliot.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"oh to become a uno cheater to date the boy you're in love with" me, a lesbian, who already cheats at uno at any given occasion</p><p>only 2 already written chapters left from now on! i will manage to write the rest of the fic of course, as i know where it's going (and ending), even if lately i've been more inspired on another of my elleo fics. i really don't know if i will post it though? let me know in the comments if you would be interested in reading a soulmate AU with immortal x reincarnated elleo throughout history (not as lighthearted as this, with angst and plot and a M rating)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. a little pity for every soft thing that walks through the world</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>a little fluff.. as a treat</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i've been cyberbullied into updating</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>elliot, unlike some, had eyes, and, unlike many, wasn't an idiot. he quickly understood during the evening that he had been greatly overestimating leo's understanding of their relationship status. either he still wasn't aware that elliot was in love with him, or simply had little to no interest in dating him. or both. but elliot wasn't worried, since leo had all the time in the world to understand that he was loved, and this fake dating experience could help them understand how they'd feel about eventually dating each other - for real this time. there was no need to rush things, they would figure things out at their own rhythm, as usual.</p><p>leo had fallen asleep on the couch soon after the uno game. elliot carried him onto his bed, dropping him gently on the mattress so as to not wake him up. when his eyes cracked open - he never was a heavy sleeper - elliot silenced the protests that were to come by brushing the dark strands of hair off his forehead and removing his glasses, putting them neatly folded on the nightstand.</p><p>"what are you doing?" leo's voice was made hoarse by sleep. his dark eyes were sleepily examining elliot's.</p><p>"you fell asleep on the couch" he broke the mesmerizing eye contact by tenderly placing his lips on his forehead for a second.</p><p>leo's cheek became pink. "and what are you doing now?"</p><p>"giving my fake boyfriend a goodnight kiss, obviously" he half-joked, handing leo the blanket. </p><p>"you're being cringe elliot…" his voice squeaked, ruining his mocking tone. the taller teen could only laugh at this. </p><p>"go get some sleep leo, you're ridiculous," elliot said, as he got into his own pajamas.</p><p>"at least i'm not the one acting like my grandma" it lacked the dryness to start an argument.</p><p>"leo, you don't even have a grandma," intervened oz, who was tidying the mess in the living room.</p><p>"rude" he grunted in his pillow, shifting to a more comfortable position. </p><p>elliot could have sworn he felt his eyes on his back, but when he turned around to watch him, leo seemed to have drifted off to sleep already. he smiled at the tough mass of dark hair emerging from the blankets and got in his own bed. </p><p>he didn't even hear oz climbing onto the top bunk. the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was leo laying in his bed peacefully, golden light of the morning playing in his hair and making his skin glow.</p><p>(it didn't occur to elliot that leo's skin was probably just greasy)</p><p>he was overwhelmed by affection.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. i ponder on celestial hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>fake dating starts NOW sorry that was really long</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>how long can i keep getting away with 0 posting schedule and loosely related poetry lines as chapters titles you ask?</p><p>i have no answers to give.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"elliot move a bit to the left…" oz gestured to the right and elliot followed the movement, bumping into leo. "no! the other left!" elliot grunted as he moved left. "and now you went too far! take a step back to the right" so he did, angrily.</p><p>"all good now michelangelo?" </p><p>"michelangelo wasn't a photographer, elliot" leo blandly corrected, looking at the taller teen through his bangs.</p><p>"but he would have been if he had a camera" he retorted, shifting his stance to his right leg.</p><p>"stop moving elliot!" oz squeaked. "and i don't think a turtle would put so much effort into taking pictures" despite the top half of his face being hidden, elliot knew that leo was giving a hollow stare at oz - who didn't notice. "ok, the light looks great like this!" he brushed off the michelangelo topic. "now act like you're dating" </p><p>both teens immediately froze up, but leo regained his composure faster and faced elliot, throwing his arms around his neck and sloppily leaned against his torso - because maybe acting like nothing about this was awkward could help. </p><p>(it didn't) </p><p>elliot yelped and blushed at leo's boldness, throwing the two off balance for a hot second. </p><p>"my, my… already acting like a shy virgin, are we?" teased leo, who hadn't left his position, to mask his own embarrassment. elliot made a sound in his throat to disagree. "no need to get embarrassed, i'm just fooling around" he reassured him. "want me to move?" </p><p>"no no" elliot's voice cracked. "i'm good." </p><p>he didn't look like he was good but leo decided to let it slide for the sake of finishing this awful photoshoot before it got out of hand. "good. then play along" </p><p>leo immediately regretted talking as elliot did play along by placing his hands on the small of his back and let his head fall on his. he could hear the beat of elliot's heart pick up - and knew his own wasn't much better.</p><p>"i said dating, not 'just married', guys" oz groaned as the pair settled into their position. elliot jumped at the comment, raising his head up and detaching himself from leo to face oz. he looked pissed. </p><p>"what the hell dipshit? just be clear on what you want then!" he did sound pissed. </p><p>"elliot." calmly warned leo.</p><p>the teen looked at leo again. he was blushing up to his ears, but his eyebrows were tightly furrowed. “he was the one who started this and now he's making fun of us!" leo had to skillfully dodge elliot's frantic hand movements. </p><p>"doesn't matter" leo raised his shoulders, feigning carelessness. "and we've agreed to this plan, plus it's not fair to be mean to oz when he's just trying to help you." </p><p>"but -"</p><p>"no. and you started this by screaming like a madman at this poor ostrich." he could see oz nodding rapidly behind him. "and please close your mouth, you look like an idiot" elliot closed his mouth shut immediately. "i'm sorry about him oz," ("hey?!") "how do you want us to pose then?"</p><p>"i was thinking of simple hand holding or something along those lines? i didn't plan for you guys to go cuckoo like you did" he laughed "or maybe if you're soo keen on hugging, leo you can go in front of elliot and he can put his arms around your torso?" </p><p>leo was holding his hand out for elliot to take but his friend decided to circle his arms around his shoulders from behind instead, as oz suggested.</p><p>"are we good enough now, dimwit?" leo was glad he had the decency to not scream when he was so close to his ear.</p><p>"yup! it could be better if your ugly face wasn't there but i guess this can't be helped!" oz smiled angelically, already taking pictures.</p><p>leo was glad to be fast enough to block elliot's arms around his body to avoid him from jumping at oz's throat.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>if you comment i am in love with you thank you for making me remember to post and telling me how you feel about this story ;0;</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a huge thank you to my friends in the ph fandom !! everything here has been written thanks to you all !!!<br/>please don't hesitate to drop a kudos (or even better! a comment! i'd love to chat with you guys !!) if you liked it ^^ i have 18 chapters written so far, they should be posted rather quickly</p><p>have a nice day ^^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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